He graduated from Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio in 1965, and lives in New York City and Martha's Vineyard.
[1][2][3][4] Waitzkin is the father of chess prodigy Joshua Waitzkin[5] and wrote a book about his son called Searching for Bobby Fischer; he felt that Joshua could be a successor to Bobby Fischer.
The book was praised by Grandmaster Nigel Short,[6] as well as chess journalist Edward Winter, who called it "a delightful book" in which "the topics [are] treated with an acuity and grace that offer the reviewer something quotable on almost every page.
"[7] Screenwriter and playwright Tom Stoppard called the book "well written" and "captivating".
[8] The book was made into the Academy Award-nominated namesake film[9][10] (but released in the U.K. as Innocent Moves), with Joe Mantegna playing Joshua Waitzkin's father.